We're In This Together
by Rosie McLovin
Summary: A sixteen year old girl was sent to the Eternal Prison before Kain had any knowledge of the Device... this is her story...
1. Why Am I Here?

**

We're in this Together 

**   
  
  
_Disclaimer: I don't own LoK, but I do own Kalika and a few other characters that might show up. That's it. _   
  
  
"Let go of me!"   
  
The halls echoed with sounds of a woman's scream. The sounds of protest and fear, panic and angst. Every once in a while, the sounds of prisoners screaming were also filled in the air. However, they were silenced after the sound of red hot metal through decaying flesh. Two prison guards... one woman. They gripped her arms tightly as she struggled desperately, trying to free herself. The guards pulled her down a long eerie hallway, ignoring her screams and tightening their grips on her aching biceps.   
  
The woman was small, possibly around the age of 16 or 17. Bruises and cuts trailed up her arms and legs, and a large, bleeding scar was marked across her back. Her arms were muscular, as well as her legs, but to an attractive glance... once she wasn't wounded, that is. Long, dark brown hair fell to the small of her back, stained with blood with the stench of sweat, as the still liquidfied fluids trailed into her dark eyes. Her chestnut colored skin was peeling away, some areas even revealing the bones. Slowly, her strength began to fade away... it was hard to believe that she had actually survived the encounters...   
  
The prison guards moved up to a large, steel door, kept cealed by a small lever. The one of her left pulled the lever down, allowing the door to rise upward. Just as the steel door slide into the ceiling, both guards tossed the wounded woman into the cell roughly. Her body hit the ground with such force she was almost certain that the ground had rose up to meet her. The guards ignored her yelp of pain and pulled the lever up, just as she sat up, resting on her knees. Tears streamed down her bloodstained face as she looked over her shoulder, balling a trembling hand into a fist.   
  
_"What do you want from me!?"_ she screamed hysterically as the tears poured down her face. _"Please, somebody tell me!! What did I do that was so wrong!?"_   
  
She rose her hands to her face, sobbing uncontrolably as she leaned against the wall. Tears fell faster.... she couldn't believe what they had tried to do to her. Her blood from her trembling lips trailed from their wounds and slits, coating her chin with a blanket of crimson. Her fingers trembled and shook... she could still feel the burning of the needle against her lips... why would they try to do such a thing? They managed to sew her mouth shut, but then they tried to sew her eyes....   
  
She remembered kicking one of the guards in the chest before the needle could reach her eyelids. She rolled off the operation table, then sprinted for her life, stumbling onto the ground, at times crawling away, until she came to a tray of their devices. Small razors and knifes were there... she had to cut her mouth open, slicing through the burning stitching, then pulling them out from her flesh as the wounds began to bleed and trail over her flesh. But they were faster.... and stronger.... and with a powerful swipe from the blade of their scythe, she was struck down, wounded, bleeding, and defeated. And now she found herself here, in a stone cell inside the very underworld itself.   
  
_But why? Why am I here...?_   
  
"E-Excuse me..."   
  
The girl jumped. She had no idea that she wasn't alone in her cell. She looked over her shoulder and gasped, crawling into a cornor. The creature before her was also a prisoner, such as herself, yet he was unlike the others. He wasn't human: his flesh was tinted a shade of light gray, similar to that of aging ashes. However, his body was in poor condition, old and brittle... but what shocked her the most was his eyes. They were a grayish green color, and full of such sorry and torment, as if the world itself had pulled him into it's core and forced him to carry all the burdens caused by humans and vampires alike. He donned a bluish-gray robe. His voice though was gentle, yet sorrowful.   
  
"I.... I'm sorry, I didn't mean any harm..." he stammered, then stepped forward, placing a hand on her shaking shoulder.   
  
"P-Please... don't hurt me.... please..." she pleaded. She felt his hand slip onto her face, forcing her to look at him.   
  
"It's alright... it's alright... what's your name?" he asked. She bit a bleeding lip as she shivered in fear.   
  
"K-K-Kalika..." she stammered.   
  
"Kalika... how old are you, my dear?" he questioned. She closed her eyes.   
  
"Sixteen... in a few weeks..." she stammered, then reopened her eyes. The demon had a face of pure shock...   
  
"You're just a child... what are you doing here?" he questioned. The girl lowered her head...   
  
"I don't know.... I don't know why I'm here..." 


	2. Escape

**

We're In This Together 

**   
  
  
"I don't remember much... but they won't tell me. I'm not sure why or how I got here, and I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to leave..."   
  
Kalika was lying on her side, staring at the wall while the demon had slipped off her ragged shirt. Her wounds were severe, but not fatal. Despite the fact that she would live, the wounds needed to be treated. Already, he had wiped her face of her blood and sweat, now stained on his robes, but her other wounds, namely the large scar along her back, where by far the top concerns on her part.   
  
"The last thing I remembered before I came here... was green flames." Kalika stated as the demon glanced at her head.   
  
"Green flames?" he repeated. She nodded.   
  
"Yes... I can't explain it though. I remember being surrounded by green flames... then the next thing I knew, I was laying on the floor of the entrance of this place..." Kalika glanced over her shoulder. "You know... I never did get your name..."   
  
The demon looked away, and stared at his palm, split open from the ball of his index finger and trailing at an angle to his wrist. Although his blood lacked the speed of healing as the blood of vampires, it cleaned and sealed the wounds slowly. The wound along Kalika's back was the most troublesome, and the only way he could help it was to stop the bleeding. The wound was going to leave a scar... a very deep scar at that. He watched as his cut slowly sealed shut before replying.   
  
"I don't remember my name, Kalika.... but here, I am known as The Builder." was the response. Kalika slipped on her shirt, then sat up to face him.   
  
"The.... Builder?" she questioned. The demon nodded.   
  
"The fiends here use my blood to create a powerful device... a trumph card for their lord." he said, then looked the girl in the eyes. "If they had any knowledge of _'wasting my blood'_ to seal your wounds, God knows what would happen to me... or to you for that matter."   
  
Kalika leaned against the door of her cell, and stood to her feet. She staggered for a moment, but caught herself from collasping. The Builder rose to his feet, his eyes widening with concern. He knew what she was intending to do, and placed a hand on her shoulder.   
  
"Don't... there's no way you can..." he stammered. Kalika glared.   
  
"I don't intend to stay here for the rest of my days. I got to try..." she stated. She turned to him. "Lie on the ground and pretend to be dying."   
  
The Builder blinked. "What are you talking about?" he questioned.   
  
"Your life is more important then mine. They need you to complete their weapon, right?" she stated. The demon stepped away, shaking his head with a look of fear. Kalika smiled slightly. "Don't worry... I promise, we'll both escape together... I won't leave you here."   
  
The Builder's eyes widened... and Kalika wasn't so sure at the moment, but she thought that he had turned a shade paler. She placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, then nodded. He nodded in return, then stepped away from the girl, lying himself on the floor. Kalika cracked her knuckles... she remembered seeing torches on the walls, dangling on both sides the cell-door. They had been hanging over the lever they used to imprison her and the Builder. Have giving a few deep inhalings, she muttered a comment that sounded much like "Here goes," then let out a high-pitched, murderous scream of terror. The scream echoed, pierced the air, and boomed throughout the cell. The Builder, astonished with the woman's racket, slapped his palms over his ears as his eyes squeezed shut.   
  
_"OH MY GOD! SOMEBODY HELP! PLEASE, SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP!"_ she hollered hysterically. Then she glared. _Dammit, if I keep this up for too long, there's gonna be hell to pay._ she thought, continuing to scream.   
  
Noticing no remorse from the outside, the Build took notice of Kalika's distress. Her raw throat was unbarable, and her breath was running out. He noted her knees pressed against each other, keeping balance from falling face first on the floor. As her voice toned down to a gasp, another voice boomed throughout the room. Panting and gasping for air as she placed a hand to her aching throat, Kalika looked over her shoulder to see the Builder, now screaming agnsty in his own imaginary pain.   
  
_"SOMEBODY PLEASE! PLEASE HELP ME!"_ he hollered, followed by painful groans and wheezing.   
  
Kalika grinned, then tossed herself towards the door, pounding on it, screaming for help. She pounded harded, screamed louder, at times even kicked the door. After an indefinate amount of time, she heard the sound of shifting robes... then she smirked.   
  
"They're coming. Keep it up, okay?" she said. The Builder nodded, then she went back to pounding on the door. _"HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE! HELP HIM!"_ she screamed, just as another pound was caused from the opposite side of the door.   
  
"You in there! Silence yourself before we decide to sew your mouth shut again!" he hollered. Rage building within her, Kalika pounded again on the door, then lowered herself to a pleading, begging act.   
  
"Please help! The demon in here! I think he's dying!" she cried. Without the use of seeing their expression, she knew that the guard knew she was talking about the Builder... and the demon's painful screams were more than persuasive enough... however, not much as belief was concerned.   
  
"What's his condition?" the guard demanded.   
  
"He's bleeding! He says his heart's failing and... and he struggling to breathe! Please! You must help him!" Kalika cried.   
  
Within the moment, the sound of a switch being thrown was heard. The steel door was lifted, and two guards made their way in. Their expression was in a great panic as they saw the Builder lying on the floor. The first guard made his way towards the creature's body. The other followed, but not without sending a slice from his scythe to Kalika's ribs. She was sent flying backwards, smacking against the stone wall as she fell to the ground. Wincing in her agnst, she knew the blow was to prevent her from any method of escape. However, in their panick... they hadn't noticed her wounds had been healed. The blood on the floor was indeed hers, not the Builder's... a perfect set up. She slapped a hand over her ribs and watched as the guards scurried over to the "dying" creature. Weakly but desprately, Kalika dragged herself across the ground, making her way out of the cell.   
  
The Builder lay on the ground, his trembling hand clutching his heart as he gasped out for air. Heaving and panting, his throat sore from his yells, the demon were fifty percent of his acting. The guards lowered themselves to his side, seeing the bleeding gashes on his skin, in truth, opened wounds from their experimentation with his blood, used to create their weapon. He had reopened them to heal Kalika, yet as quick as his healing was on her, his own healing was (exageratingly speaking) as slow as the frozen time in which the Eternal Prison was damned to follow. The guards reached down, touching the opened wounds with their fingertips... and a glowing green light had emerged. The glow liquidized, flowing into his body, instantly running through his veins, into his heart... healing him. Before the demon could speak, the first guard had almost fallen ontop of him in an explosion of embers and a loud _THWACK!_ of burning wood. Before the second guard could react, he had suffered the same fate, falling on his side.   
  
Kalika had returned with a large torch in her hands.   
  
Blood poured from her newest open wound, yet she tossed the torch to the ground and lifted the Builder to his feet.   
  
"Hurry! That won't hold them off for long!" she cried.   
  
The two scurried to their feet, stumbling out of the cell, then throwing the switch. 


	3. The Chase

**

We're In This Together 

**   
  
  
  
The Builder broke the skin on his fingertips and pressed it onto Kalika's wound. The doors had contained her captors... but she wondered if the scythes were powerful enough to break through the steel. If so, she was in for more than she saw coming. The wound sealed slowly, yet managed to stop the bleeding. For the cut being so tiny on his finger, the Builder's "wound" had healed almost instantly after treating Kalika.   
  
"Are you alright?" the girl asked as the Builder placed an hand on his temple.   
  
"I'll be fine... just a tad lightheaded..." he stated.   
  
"I wouldn't doubt it... giving your blood to heal myself and making this weapon would do that to you, I'll bet." she stated, then glanced at the door. "Let's go... there must be a way out of here..."   
  
Taking the Builder by the hand, Kalika pressed forward, down the dark hallway leading into the torture chamber. It was a room filled with the stench of rotting skin and aging blood stained upon the floor and walls. To return to the very room itself was the last errand she wished to fulfill, and she had the scars to overcome any sort of debate against her will. The two continued down a darkening hall, only to stop dead in their tracks. Another cell had been opened...   
  
Wheither it was her own paranoia or merely curiosity, Kalika couldn't decide at the moment. The result was the same. She strayed from the hall leading to the torture chamber as she and Builder moved towards the opened cell.   
  
"Kalika..." the Builder protested, only to be hushed by a finger pressed to Kalika's scarred lips.   
  
"Shhh.... stay here..." she whispered, releasing her hold on his hand.   
  
Cautiously, the girl positioned herself to a sqwat, then using her arms and legs, moved herself forward, towards the door. From the Builder's view, she reminded him of a spider.... a black widow silently moving in for the prey. However, the situation was quite the opposite, in which the spider was suddenly the prey. Even in her silence, Kalika knew well that she was in the same position. She neared the door, then stood up, pressing her back against the wall, preparing to make a leap into the cell. Silently bringing in a breath of air, Kalika sprang herself out into the opening, then leapt into the cell.   
  
Nothing...   
  
Turning to her comrade, she signaled her hand forward, beckoning him to follow...   
  
"Intruding disturbance of my peace... my allotment hasn't been fulfilled!"   
  
Kalika nearly jumped out of her skin. Before she could scream, a force had smashed into her back, sending her toppling onto the stone floor roughly. She had braced herself from causing damage from contact with the ground as a cloud of dust and cobwebs surrounded her. She rolled on her back, and immediately was forced into a backwards somersault as she dodged a flying claw aiming for her throat. She landed on her toes in a crouch position, stairing in shock and horror at her attacker.   
  
_It_ was apparently a male, and possibly stood from six to seven feet in height. However, she couldn't tell the exact height seeing that the creature was hunched over, carring a large, metal boiler on his back with was also strapped into his chest and impaled into his right shoulder. His skin was pale with a small tint of green to it, and his muscular arms formed into a claw with five large, fatally sharp talons.   
  
However, his muscular frame and inhuman height was not the top concerns or even the top ten on her list of terrors. The creature had one large golden eye with a black slit through the center. The other eye had been patched with a slab of metal, as well as his left jaw and throat. His entire lower face from nose to chin (minus the cheeks) was nothing more but bare, red muscle tissue, revealing a cartiledge point of a nose and an entire set of teeth, the canines forged and slimmed into a curved, sharp pair of fangs. His stomach and abdonem had been peeled off, revealing more red muscle tissue, a set of intestines that were somehow kept in place, as well as a set of ribs. His ears were large and pointed, and the scalp of his head had been peeled off, along with the top part of the skull, revealing the monster's brain.   
  
The Builder's expression of fear intensified as the creature jumped towards Kalika again. She rolled forward this time almost instantly, rolling between his legs and somehow dodging his flailing claws. However, the monster's attention hadn't turned to the Builder, though it was quite obvious that he was aware of his presence. Kalika saw her mistake instantly as she noticed that she had rolled into the cell. She jumped to her feet and readied herself. The creature jumped for her again, swiping for her head. His swings were powerful, however the boiler had posed as a flaw in his agility. And knowing that she couldn't fight the creature depending on brute strength in which she obviously lacked, Kalika fixed her thoughts on one option. Escape.   
  
The creautre swung again, and after quicking ducking the slash, Kalika charged forward almost as if she was trying to stampede on the Builder. Panting and sprinting, her face painted with fear and her breathing quickening, she pointed towards the torture chamber, yelling for her comrade to run, to escape. The demon, frozen in his fear, suddenly awakened to his senses, then turned to run. Kalika continued to sprint, growing more tense as the thundering of the monster's feet echoed behind her. She neared the hallway, gripping the cornor of the way and making a sharp turn, heading towards the torture room. The monster, still lacking the agility, had managed to turn, yet slam roughly into a wall, causing him to fall on his side.   
  
"Hurry!" Kalika cried as she neared the Builder. "He's getting back up!"   
  
"What should we do?" the demon questioned, his breathing slowly escaping from his weak lungs.   
  
"Just run.... then hide! That's the only options we have!" Kalika cried, just as the thundering of claws against the stone floor were heard again.   
  
The monster charged forward, his speed increasing. Kalika and the Builder jumped for the torture room, noticing the room had been occupied. Slaves and prisoners were shackled and chained to the walls, other strapped onto racks and tables as a large, flattened stone of spikes lay above their mutilated bodies. Kalika had been strapped to one of these tables while the guards had tried to sew her mouth... thankfully that was all they had acheived, because she knew what fate would've come for her had they continued to sew her eyes shut as well. And there, like before, was the tray of their razors and torture equipment. Quickly, Kalika turned and slid on the ground, gripping the Builder by the wrist. He fall roughly, but the human had slapped a hand over his mouth, preventing him from calling out. They were hidden behind on of the unoccupied tables, yet she knew that the monster was still chasing her. Thankfully, the table was close to the tray of the knives and razors.   
  
_Better to die armed than die hopeless..._ she thought, then turned to the Builder. "Hurry, go and hide! I have an idea!" she stated. The Builder shook his head.   
  
"You can't possibly be thinking of dueling with him!" he cried, just as a loud crash was heard. The creature had managed to slam into one of the tables, causing the table and the helpless prisoner to go toppling on the side, crashing into the rack beside it.   
  
"It's okay... I have an idea."   
  
"Kalika! You'll die!"   
  
Another crash was heard as the second table had fallen against the rack Kalika and the Builder had been hidden behind. She turned to him.   
  
"Stay low... escape from the torture chamber and hide in one of the cells. I'll be back for you, I promise." she told him, then stared in his eyes. "Trust me..."   
  
Without awaiting his reply, Kalika leaned forward and gripped the handle of a large, jagged blade. Instantly, she rolled forward out into the open and landed on her feet, revealing herself to the monster.   
  
"Hey! Looking for me!?" she growled, then eyed the Builder, who had actually taken her advice and began crawling away.   
  
"You're a tough one to chew. I'll have to tenderise you to get my praise, even if it means bruising the meat!" he growled, then charged forward. 


	4. Sincerity

**

We're In This Together 

**   
  
  
The monster thundered forward, seeming to care less for the damage brought upon himself so long as the girl lie dead on the ground. She had to do so much in very little timing, and as he approached her within at least twenty to fifteen feet away, she knew she had to act fast. He drew in closer, and the human jumped onto the operation table, the captive prisoner still lying strapped on, his eyes and mouth sewed shut, unaware of the current situation. The monster instantly slammed full speed into the table, throwing the lever.   
  
The sound of gravity pulling on metal was heard as Kalika looked up. The flattened structure of spike can falling towards her. Instantly, she kicked off the table and went flying through the air as the spikes impaled through the prisoner as flesh, bone and blood sprayed and flew through the air in an instant. Kalika formed into a dive, and as she hit the ground, formed into a diving roll, sending her tumbling across the stone floor. She landed on her stomach, wincing and gasping to catch her breath... when she noticed her newest advantage. A large, glass barrier was built onto the side of the torture chamber. She gazed beyond it, noticing a large chamber of statues and water.   
  
"You contemptible, deceitful wretch!" the monster roared as he came charging for her again.   
  
Kalika gripped the handle of her weapon tightly... if she was planning on escape, she would have to rely on her weaponry. She noticed that the monster had an advantage in speed, and that his agility was inadequate. However, she had very little knowledge of his leaping strength... if his ability of pouncing was as strong as his ability to run. There was only one way to find out, and as the monster charged again, she readied herself. He sprinted towards her, faster and faster, gaining more speed, his one eye flickering with fury and savagery. Looking at his angered features, Kalika could only wonder if her idea would work. The creature was filled with desperation... he wanted her dead for whatever reason. How in the world was she going to hold off against him?   
  
Her thoughts were cut short as the monster took a powerful kick off the ground, lunging towards her frame in a yell of rage. His claws slashed at the air, aiming for Kalika. Instantly, the human dropped to the ground, covering her head and lying flat. The monster's eyes flicked from an inhuman rage to sudden shock as his body broke through the barrier, then went toppling roughly on the stone floor. A short shower of tiny glass beads belted against Kalika's body, falling into her hair and gently slicing small cuts across her skin. Silence built up... she could only hear the faint quivering that was her breathing, and the loud, thundering pounding that was her heartbeat.   
  
The human shivered, then relunctantly rose to her feet as the small pellets of glass slide off of her body and clattered onto the floor. She looked through the broken window... the monster was lying very still. Chunks of glass were embedded into his skin, and his eye was closed.   
  
_Retreat..._ she thought to herself, then slowly turned away.   
  
A small shifting of glass was heard, and for a moment, Kalika almost believed that her heart was about to tear through her chest. She jumped, spinning around, seeing the beast lying on the floor, slowly making it to his feet... then collasping. She began to back away, only when a painful, sorrowful moan was heard. The human's eyes overreacted as if being reshuffled like a deck of cards. That creature... that bloodthirsty demon that had chased her throughout the prison, who had tried to murder her was now lying helpless, whimpering like a lost child.   
  
_Leave... he'll be back up, he'll chase you..._ she thought again, only to hear the whimper once more.   
  
"Such pain..." he muttered.   
  
Kalika gave a glare, and slowly moved her way towards the barrier. She gave a leap over the broken glass, then knelt beside the monster. She gasped as she dropped her knife, covering her mouth with her hands. Embedded into the monster's throat and stomach were two large shards of glass. Blood poured and dribbled from these wounds, instantly pouring onto the stone floor. The human bit her lower lip... she had the slightest feeling that in time, she would regret the action she was about to put into progress. Kalika leaned forward, placing her right hand on the monster's back. He winced at her touch, possibly shocked that she was actually there. Her left hand was placed on the boiler, then she gave a strong push. Shifting her hand to his chest, she pushed upwards, then flipped the beast on his back. He clenched his teeth, inhaling painfully as his eye squeezed shut. Kalika hushed him as she did the Builder, then leaned over the monster's body.   
  
"This will hurt for a moment... but you'll be alright..." she said, then gripped the glass embedded into his throat.   
  
Kalika breathed in then out, gripped the shard tighter, then all in one instant, she pulled up. The monster screamed in a suffering torment, his eye widening as saliva and blood escaped from his mouth. The scream pierced the air, filling the ears of the young human, causing her wince as she tossed the shard to the side. She placed a hand on his throat to stop the bleeding, then placed a finger on his lips, praying to God that he wouldn't bite it off.   
  
"Shhh, shhh, it's out... it's out." she soothed, then slipped her hand to the next shard. "You just have one more... I'll get it out for you..."   
  
The second shard hadn't troubled him. His eye followed the girl's every movement. He watched as she leaned over his body, gripping the glass shard tightly, biting her lip at the stinging slicing of her own hands as she gathered her strength, then withdrew the glass from his stomach. Squeezing his eye shut once more, the beast clench his teeth and tensed his muscles as his back arched upwards. After a moment of pain, his body relaxed as the wounds slowly began to seal shut. Kalika timidly moved away, her trembling hand reaching for the knife. The beast gazed up at her... and for a moment, the human girl saw him from a different view. His eye was so passionate, yet unable to describe. It was not along the line of pleading, yet looked helpless, as if he had been lost. She allowed her eyes to trail across his wounded feature, glancing at the wounds and mutilations he had gone through. She placed a hand on his face gently, then rose to her feet.   
  
"I'm sorry... but I must leave." she stated solemnly, then turned towards the shattered barrier. 


	5. Repaid Debt

**

We're In This Together

**   
  
  
Things hadn't gone the way Kalika had expected. There had been large steam pipes in the room, possibly used to torment the prisoners. She expected to cut off one of those pipes, then use the steam as her advantage. She realized that this couldn't be completed as she was on the rack. The barrier idea had been a tad off as well. She intended to let him break through the glass, then chase her across the bridge. Then she would use the knife and whatever strength she could bare to knock him into the water below.   
  
She didn't know why she had helped him... she continued to ask herself the question as she moved into the next hallway. She had her arms to her sides, one hand still firmly gripping the handle of the knife, her eyes trailing along the walls of the hallway. She had told the Builder to hide, so there was hope that he was still somewhere close by. However, she continued to diliberate the fact that she had allowed him to live. She pondered the fact that he had tried to kill her... he had cursed at her, struck at her, announced candidly how he intended to morbidly feed off of her flesh. The human's eyes then trailed along the floor as she slowly yet cautiously moved one foot infront of the other.   
  
_I suppose.... I suppose I couldn't stand to see more death. And there would be no honor in killing him like that... none._ she thought to herself.   
  
"K-Kalika...?"   
  
The human stopped dead in her tracks as the Builder slowly slipped out from the darkness of an empty cell. Kalika sighed, then nodded.   
  
"It's okay... he won't bother us anymore." she stated. The Builder sighed as a look of distress and relief appeared on his face.   
  
"I was sure he was going to kill you." he stated, his voice quievering a bit. "Nobody has ever longed to be beside me for so long... to worry about my safety."   
  
In the faint flicker of the light, Kalika's heart seemed to sink. She noticed the Builder's eyes were reflecting the light as they watered up, filling with crystal tears upon his already saddened eyes.   
  
"I find no possible outcome to live with myself if I were to lose somebody like that..." he stated.   
  
Kalika smiled as she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around the demon. The Builder's eyes widened... no human, let alone a young girl, had ever wrapped her arms around him and think nothing disgusting of it. His fingers trembled, then his arms slowly rose, wrapping around the girl as he closed his eyes, allowing streams of crystal tears sparkling in the faint light as they streamed down his gray skin. How he longed be frozen, to stay wrapped in Kalika's warm embrace, knowing that there was one person who had cared for him, who was willing to go the distance to accomplish her goal.... for both of them to escape. Kalika pulled away slowly, smiling at his tears as she wiped them away.   
  
"Come on, Builder... let's get out of here." she said, just as he wrapped his fingers around her wrist.   
  
"Follow me... I discovered something..." he stated, leading her into the darkness of the cell.   
  
The cell was small, box-shaped and about fifteen feet in diameter. Cobwebs and dust coated the walls and floor, and in the center, visible through the lack of lighting, was a steel ladder leading from the floor to the ceiling. Kalika smiled, her hand forming a fist infront of her as a sign of victory. Cautiously, she stepped forward, her hands gripping the sides of the ladder firmly, shaking it slighty to test the sturdiness, then stepped on. She stepped up, mounted her feet onto the second and third bars of the ladder, then pulled herself upwards, climbing for the ceiling. Cautious and paranoid over future dangers to arise, the Builder relunctantly pulled himself onto the ladder. The paranoia deseased after ogling the human girl climbing to the top, making her way through a small passage, then seeing her filthy, bloodstained hand motioning him to come.   
  
Kalika rose to her feet as she eyed the cell. It was larger than the one below her, and unlike her former cell, was locked from the inside by a bronze lever. Blood stained across the stone walls along with a massive bed of cobwebs large enough to be compared as a hammock. Just stepped towards the steel door, noticing a small, barred "window" built into it. Her fingers laced around the bars as she allowed her eyes to gander beyond the steel bars. Instantly, she released her hold and squatted down, pressing her back against the steel door as she slapped a hand over her mouth. A moment later, then Builder had lifted his head from the chamber below. She shook a free hand at him, and he automatically lowered himself from her vision, save his peering eyes fixing on her frame. Kalika's ears twitched as she heard the jingling of small trinkets and orniments connected to the prison guard's robes as he slowly walked pass the cell. The sound of his fingers tapping along the bar of his scythe poured into her ears, sending shivers and chills jolting up her spin and caressing across her shoulder and lymphnoids. It took every ounce of mental strength to ease her quivering breathing... the last thing she wanted was to be heard, conscidering the risks she and her comrade had taken to get this far. She squeezed her eyes shut as the chills trailed along her upper back.   
  
_Please..._ she mentally begged. _Please just go... just go away..._   
  
"MY TORMENT HAS NOT BEEN EASED! LEAVE ME IN PEACE, FOUL BEINGS!"   
  
Kalika's eyes snapped open as she felt her heart nearly bust through her chest. The quickness had eluded her sight, only allowing her to hear a sudden explosion of stone from below, and a scream of pure terror. Her jaws dropped as she saw the Builder's clawed fingers impaling into the stone, clinging to the floor. Gasping, Kalika jumped forward, sliding across the floor, and grasping her ally by the wrist. Before she could move to pull him upwards, then ladder had demolished, causing his body to dangle, hanging from the mere arm of a human girl. Kalika winced as her as she felt the muscles in her lymphnoids slowly pulling, throbbing and aching with pain as she gripped the wrist of her demonic ally. Suddenly, another explosion from below was heard, and she felt the floor beneath her collapse, then melt away as the thousand arms of gravity enwrapped around her body, pulling her down.   
  
Her body flipped forward in midair as she toppled back into the lower cell, then smacked roughly against the stone floor. Her eyes squeezed shut as her mouth opened, releasing a silent scream of indescribable pain. Her grip on the Builder's wrist loosened as she felt his fingers fall limp in her palm.   
  
"You again?!"   
  
_That....voice...._   
  
Kalika's face slumped to the side as she slowly traced her eyes upwards...   
  
Then all was bathed in darkness... 


	6. 1000 Words

**

We're In This Together 

**   
  
  
Kalika's eyes slowly opened. Her head throbbed and pounded... she had hit her back harder than her head, but either way, it still ebbed with tides and waves of pain. She looked over to her side... the Builder was lying motionless beside her, lying on his stomach with his eyes closed. At first glance, she was sure he was dead... but then she watched as his back slowly rose upwards, then descended back, continuing this motion gently. She sighed in relief, then placed her fingers to her throbbing temples.   
  
  
_I know that you lied to me   
Using just your words to shatter me   
Your words are like a dream   
But dreams could never fool me   
It's not right to me _   
  
  
"A life for a life..."   
  
Kalika jumped, lifting up her head slightly. She realized that she was in a different cell, one without the cobwebs. Fires from torches flamed and glimmered, their light dancing across the wall in shades of light scarlet, flaming orange, and small flickers of gold. In the reflections of the flames was the monster... the one from before. The human's eyes widened as she weakly moved away, pathetically toppling to the ground.   
  
"Relax... my debt has been repaid..." the monster growled, slowly moving towards the cowering girl.   
  
  
_ I'm acting so distant now   
Turned my back as you walked away   
But I was listening   
That you fight your battles far from me   
It's not right to me _   
  
  
The human winced slightly, then stared up at the monster as he knelt down beside her. His golden eye locked into hers, then slowly trailed across her figure. The eye squinted slightly as he brought up his hand, brushing the knuckles of his fingers against her dark hair, shifting the strands from her eyes. The fingers then trail down the side of her face, then shifted so the fingers were move placed gently under her chin. His claw-like nails were each fatally sharp, pressing lightly against her flesh, forcing her to look up at him.   
  
"Why did you help me... back in the torture room..." he questioned.   
  
  
_ "Don't you worry 'cause I come back"   
I could hear you speaking as   
You walked to battle   
I acted strong   
To hide the pain when I   
Turned back the pages   
Crying out a windy answer   
What if I shed my tears and   
Begged you not to leave?_   
  
  
Kalika glanced at the floor. Unable to shift her head to look away, she merely slanted her eyes to the cornor of the room. The monster rose an eyebrow in his confusion. He expected the woman to have confidence after challenging him. By the looks of her appearance, one would have expected her to have high self-esteem about herself as a person rather than her actions on the battlefeild.   
  
"Lass..." he whispered, allowing her eyes to fall on him again. "Why did you help me?"   
  
  
_ But now I'm not afraid to do   
What's in my heart_   
  
  
"I.... I...." Kalika stammered.   
  
She drew back slightly, biting her lower lip. She noticed the absence of her knife, and this was the time that she had longed to have it beside her. The monster had tried to kill her, she couldn't block that from her mind even if she tried. She remembered his dangerous monstrousity when he had chased after her, and she didn't want a rewind of that moment to occur. However... seeing his face now, as mangled and destroyed as it appeared, there was a sense of gentliness and an aura of softness that made his disgusting appearence seem to melt away.   
  
  
_ Those thousand words   
Have never been spoken   
So far away   
I'm sending them to you wherever you are   
Suspended on shiny wings   
  
Those thousand words   
Have never been spoken   
They'll treasure you   
Make you no longer dare seem   
So far away   
And hold you forever..._   
  
  
"I didn't.... want more suffering... or killing." she stammered.   
  
The monster slowly slipped has fingers away from her chin, then placed his large, powerful claws on her shoulders, assisting her to a sitting position. This was mildly uncomfortable, only to the limit that the creature had to fullen hunch over her fraim to lift her up. She feared that gravity was to turn on him by using the boiler melded onto his back as an advantage to crush her. That never occured however, and the monster had slipped beside her, sitting on the stone with his long, powerful arm preventing her from toppling over.   
  
"Wait until your strength has returned... you'll be alright, human." he stated.   
  
  
_ That dream isn't over yet   
I pretend and say, "I can't forget"   
I still live in my day   
You've been there with me all the way   
It's not right of me _   
  
  
Kalika winced at his response. She had an idea that he hadn't noticed the minor flaw in the comment, but took note that he hadn't recieved her name. She blinked, gently breathing in through her nostrils to ease her hazy vision.   
  
"K-Kalika..." she whispered. The monster gazed at her.   
  
"What was that?" he questioned. A small smile appeared on her face as her eyes slowly fell on him.   
  
"My name is Kalika..."   
  
  
_ "Don't you worry 'cause I'll write to you"   
I could see you speaking as   
You looked away   
I acted strong   
To hide the love when I   
Turned back the pages   
Anger might've been the answer   
But if I shook my head and said   
That I can't wait _   
  
  
The monster was taken back in aghast. A thin layer of suspicion lingered in this atmosphere, and he didn't approve of the sudden change of heart. How could she simply smile at him, offering her name in such a simple manner? For two-hundred years he had tread the halls and chambers of this hell, staring at his reflection shimmering on the glass barriers, screaming at his own appearence. For two-hundred years, he had to watch as the prisoners scream and fled at the mere look of his face. For two-hundred years, he head to look at himself as his sanity slowly escaped him, as grief and dispair clouded his thoughts, as the lust for death increased and intensified. At his mere appearance, at the mutilations the bastards of the prison had bestowed upon him, he had lost roughly all of his sanity, save for a small precentage no smaller than twenty to fifteen percent. And the girl had simply smiled at him...   
  
As if his appearence was nothing...   
  
  
_ But now I'm not afraid to do   
What's in my heart _   
  
  
Kalika sensed his troubles almost instantly. She lifted a trembling hand and placed it delicately on his shoulder. His glance shifted from a slight glare to a look of confusion and disorientation. Abashed, the monster stood, gazing at the human girl... such a fragile being comparing to his own strength and power. Because of these glances... because of his actions, Kalika knew of these facts as well. It brought forth a terror of her own at the mere knowledge of what could happen to her, yet a slight brand of perplexity at why it hadn't occured...   
  
  
_Those thousand words   
Have never been spoken   
So far away   
I'm sending them to you wherever you are   
Suspended on shiny wings   
  
Those thousands words   
Have never been spoken   
They'll treasure you   
Make you no longer dare seem   
So far away   
And hold you forever _   
  
  
The girl shifted her eyes to the ground at the monster's reactions. Her reactions had taken him again as his eye filled with sympathy over her grief. His claw slipped up to her shoulder as his talons slowly and gently caressed her cheek, fondling her flesh comfortingly. Her eyes widened in surprise... then she turned her head to face him, the same sweet smile etched upon her face.   
  
  
_ Those thousand words   
Have never been spoken   
La la la la   
I'm sending them to you wherever you are   
Suspended on shiny wings   
  
Those thousands words   
Have never been spoken   
La la la la   
Make you no longer here   
Feel like calling me   
La la la la..._   
  
  
In return was his own smile... and the whispering of the word, "Magnus..."   
  
  
  
** Disclaimer: I do NOT own this song. It was sung by Koda Kumi and composed/arranged by Takahito Eguchi and Noriko Matsueda. Tell me whatcha thought of the chapter! ^^ **


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